Sometimes the mixture fails to react and must be disposed of safely. It has been reported that in some cases the reaction can occur with a delay of several hours which can be hazardous. If you are disposing of a mixture which has not yet reacted pour this into an excess of 1M sodium hydroxide in a fume cupboard and leave until it all dissolves before resuming normal disposal.
Weblinks
There are a number of websites with information on this reaction and these can found using a Google search.
Page last updated September 2016
The reaction between aluminium and iodine is catalysed by water. This is a spectacular demonstration as clouds of purple iodine vapour are produced.
This is a resource from the Practical Chemistry project, developed by the Nuffield Foundation and the Royal Society of Chemistry. This collection of over 200 practical activities demonstrates a wide range of chemical concepts and processes. Each activity contains comprehensive information for teachers and technicians, including full technical notes and step-by-step procedures. Practical Chemistry activities accompany Practical Physics and Practical Biology .
The experiment is also part of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Continuing Professional Development course: Chemistry for non-specialists